GECS Financing Receivables and Allowance for Losses on Financing Receivables (Allowance for Losses on Financing Receivables ) (Details) (Subsidiaries GECS [Member], USD $) In Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	$ 7,054	$ 8,822	$ 8,033	$ 7,802
Provision charged	1,968	4,187
Other	99	(410)
Gross write-offs	(3,861)	(5,249)
Recoveries	815	792
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		1,700
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	1,847	2,139	2,045	2,175
Provision charged	389	951
Other	(32)	(104)
Gross write-offs	(670)	(1,032)
Recoveries	115	93
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		56
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Energy Financial Services Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	35	53	22	28
Provision charged	11	24
Other	(1)	1
Gross write-offs	(4)	0
Recoveries	7	0
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Energy Financial Services Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				28
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | GECAS Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	15	50	20	104
Provision charged	(2)	35
Other	0	0
Gross write-offs	(3)	(89)
Recoveries	0	0
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | GECAS Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				104
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Other Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	54	50	58	34
Provision charged	11	18
Other	1	0
Gross write-offs	(17)	(3)
Recoveries	1	1
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Other Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				34
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Americas CLL Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	1,123	1,362	1,287	1,179
Provision charged	219	630
Other	(72)	(10)
Gross write-offs	(366)	(558)
Recoveries	55	55
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		66
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Americas CLL Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				1,245
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Europe CLL Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	433	382	429	575
Provision charged	73	137
Other	30	(70)
Gross write-offs	(133)	(288)
Recoveries	34	28
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Europe CLL Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				575
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Asia CLL Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	180	234	222	244
Provision charged	77	108
Other	10	(23)
Gross write-offs	(147)	(94)
Recoveries	18	9
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		(10)
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Asia CLL Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				234
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Other CLL Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	7	8	7	11
Provision charged	0	(1)
Other	0	(2)
Gross write-offs	0	0
Recoveries	0	0
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Other CLL Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				11
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | CLL Financing Receivables [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	1,743	1,986	1,945	2,009
Provision charged	369	874
Other	(32)	(105)
Gross write-offs	(646)	(940)
Recoveries	107	92
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		56
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | CLL Financing Receivables [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				2,065
Commercial Portfolio Segment [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				2,231
Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Segment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	1,276	1,797	1,488	1,494
Provision charged	176	645
Other	10	(11)
Gross write-offs	(411)	(374)
Recoveries	13	1
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		42
Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Segment [Member] | Debt Real Estate [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	1,092	1,590	1,292	1,358
Provision charged	122	548
Other	9	(4)
Gross write-offs	(341)	(310)
Recoveries	10	1
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		(3)
Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Segment [Member] | Debt Real Estate [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				1,355
Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Segment [Member] | Business Properties Real Estate [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	184	207	196	136
Provision charged	54	97
Other	1	(7)
Gross write-offs	(70)	(64)
Recoveries	3	0
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		45
Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Segment [Member] | Business Properties Real Estate [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				181
Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Segment [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				1,536
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	3,931	4,886	4,500	4,133
Provision charged	1,403	2,591
Other	121	(295)
Gross write-offs	(2,780)	(3,843)
Recoveries	687	698
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		1,602
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Non US residential mortgages [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	790	828	803	892
Provision charged	66	170
Other	40	(103)
Gross write-offs	(150)	(180)
Recoveries	31	49
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Non US residential mortgages [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				892
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Non US installment and revolving credit [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	934	954	937	1,106
Provision charged	311	615
Other	64	(113)
Gross write-offs	(664)	(935)
Recoveries	286	281
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Non US installment and revolving credit [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				1,106
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | US installment and revolving credit [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	1,846	2,635	2,333	1,551
Provision charged	941	1,570
Other	1	(1)
Gross write-offs	(1,688)	(2,320)
Recoveries	259	233
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		1,602
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | US installment and revolving credit [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				3,153
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Non US auto [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	143	223	168	292
Provision charged	26	73
Other	12	(43)
Gross write-offs	(126)	(191)
Recoveries	63	92
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Non US auto [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				292
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Consumer Other Financing Receivable [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance	218	246	259	292
Provision charged	59	163
Other	4	(35)
Gross write-offs	(152)	(217)
Recoveries	48	43
Impact of adoption of ASU 2009 16 & 17		0
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Consumer Other Financing Receivable [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				292
Consumer Portfolio Segment [Member] | Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				5,735
Scenario, Adjustment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Total balance				$ 9,502